Blog Archive

Posts for February, 2007

Polo Ralph Lauren Corp.'s new division, called Global Brand Concepts, will create a new, exclusive brand for JC Penney: American Living. The Lauren group will design and market a wide range of items for Penney's, including clothing for men, women and children, accessories and home items.

The American Living products will start showing up in Penney stores in 2008. $ | Feb. 1, 2007

Now you can get it checked for free at the mall. Aurora Healthcare is providing blood pressure testing machines at Southridge, Brookfield Square and at the Fox River mall in Appleton.

The machine at Southridge is at the south end on the lower level, near Steve & Barry's; the one at Brookfield Square is at center court, near JC Penney; and the machine at Fox River is at the north end of the mall, in the Sears wing.$ | Feb. 2, 2007

Super bowl weekend historically is a big one for grocers, with consumers loading up on snacks and drinks for their parties. The week ahead of the game also is huge for retailers who sell big-screen TVs. But Visa reports that, curiously, jewelers and florists also see their sales go up this weekend.

The credit card company doesn't know why this is. It seems early for Valentine's day shopping, given the male tendency toward procrastination. So Visa has come up with another theory: football fans are buying these items as "peace offerings," to make up for the time the spend in front of the set. Or maybe what they spent buying a new TV.$ | Feb. 2, 2007

Bayshore Town Center is accepting applications from charities who want to share in the proceeds from the parking meters at the center. The deadline to be considered for the program in 2007 is Feb. 23.

Apply by mail to: Lisa Susen-Sullivan, 5800 North Bayshore Drive, Suite A256, Glendale, WI 53217. Charities must show proof of 501 (c) (3) status. Charities that have applied previously need not submit a new application to be considered for this year. $ | Feb. 14, 2007

If you've ever seen Gap's Forth and Towne stores and wondered if Milwaukee will get one, you can forget about it. The company said today that it is giving up on the concept, which it launched in 2005.

Forth and Towne was aimed at baby-boomer women. The stores have luxurious fitting rooms and more grown-up styles, in addition to traditional Gap khaki.

The Forth and Towne store closest to Milwaukee is at Old Orchard in Skokie. If you've never seen it, you have until June to get a peek before all 19 of the Forth and Towne stores close. Other Forth and Towne locations in Illinois are at Woodfield mall in Schaumberg, in Aurora at the Fox Valley shopping center and at Algonquin Commons in Algonquin.

Retail Business News

Business

Having gotten millions of women out of jeans and into yoga pants, the Wilson family now wants to drape the world in $80 T-shirts.

Or at least part of the world, the part inhabited by young professionals living what the Wilsons call "full-contact" lives — up at 6, off to jobs where they're already making their mark, getting in a good workout, meeting friends, moving through the city and wanting luxury clothing that meets the needs of their smart, successful lifestyles.

Milwaukee, the Wilsons believe, is fertile ground for this market, so on Thursday, in a 1,300-square foot space in the Historic Third Ward, they'll open the 26th location of Kit and Ace, a barely-year-old clothing chain that has generated buzz far beyond its still-modest size.(6)